Dinner with a Biodynamic Winemaker: Cefalicchio of Puglia

Fabrizio Rossi is not a typical winemaker. (In fact, he doesn’t call himself a winemaker at all.) For a start, he’s an agronomist, with a background broader than viticulture. Fabrizio is also a soft-spoken man, a rarity among winemakers. Like most people who talk little, it’s worth paying close attention when he does talk because he has something interesting to say. And in Fabrizio’s case, he breaks the winemaker mould again in being much blunter about his wines than most winemakers I’ve met, as ready to talk about what didn’t go well as what did.

All this made for an interesting dinner for Michèle and I the other night with Fabrizio Rossi at the restaurant La Roma, featuring the wines of Cefalicchio from northern Puglia. The dinner was part of the Wines of Puglia week, organized by Antonio Mauriello and his DiVino Wine Studio.

Cefalicchio has been the Rossi Family’s estate for more than a hundred years and includes Biodynamic-certified production of wine and olive oil, as well as a hotel and restaurant, spa, and seminars on food and wine. But it’s only since 2003 that they have produced their own wines. (Before that, they turned their grapes over to a local cooperative for winemaking.) Perhaps Fabrizio’s blunt talk about their wines comes easy to him because he understands that experience in winemaking comes slowly over decades and generations, so expecting perfection after 7 years is unrealistic.

Our wine tasting started with the Vigne Alta 2007, IGT Puglia Rosso.  13.0% ABV. Made from 100% Montepulciano and aged in stainless steel. Aromas of sour black cherry, blackberry, dried herbs, and earthiness (mushrooms and wet leaves). With high tannins, the mouthfeel is quite drying and even a bit harsh on the finish. Fabrizio Rossi said that they left the juice on the skins too long during fermentation, which drove the tannin levels higher than they should be. The Vigne Alta was matched with Breaded Mussels baked with basil and lemon. I’m used to eating mussels with white wine but matching these mussels with red wine is typical in Puglia and it works surprisingly well. And the wine was better with the mussels.

Next was Canosa 2007, DOC Rosso Canosa.  13.5% ABV.  Made from Nero di Troia (65%) and Montepulciano (35%). Aged in stainless steel. Aromas of red and black fruits (mostly cherry), dried herbs and minerality. Medium acidity and certainly softer tannins than the first wine and better balanced. Some heat was evident on the nose. Matched with Orecchiette tossed in a tomato sauce with Ricotta cheese (and, I think, some chili peppers). Whatever the hot spice in the pasta dish was, it worked against the wine, pushing the heat up unpleasantly even though the alcohol level was still reasonable at 13.5%.

We moved on to Romanico Reserva 2005, DOC Rosso Canosa.  13.5% ABV. Made from 100% Nero di Troia. Aged in oak for 12 months. It’s wines like this that are turning me into a big fan of Nero di Troia, a variety that is native to Puglia. Nero di Troia was almost lost as a wine-producing grape (it’s difficult to ripen properly and tends to over-produce its foliage) but the Pugliese recently re-established it. Unfortunately, according to Fabrizio, the winemaking methods for Nero di Troia have been lost so it’s back to the starting point in understanding how to make a good wine from these grapes. But Pugliese winemakers are convinced of its potential to produce wines suitable for aging. I found aromas of raspberries at first, yielding to prunes and cooked plums, some floral notes, with hints of orange zest, liquorice, and spices. Good acidity and soft tannins, this wine is well balanced. Matched very well with a generous Braised Lamb Shank with seasonal vegetables, including rapini.

Our final wine was Totila 2005, IGT Puglia.  13% ABV. Made from Nero di Troia (50%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (50%). Aged 6 months in oak. This is what I think of as a “halfway house” wine, made for folks who aren’t quite ready for a Nero di Troia varietal, so they throw in some Cabernet Sauvignon with the Troia for the international market.  Fabrizio tells us that the blend for this wine is the top subject for rainy days at Cefalicchio.  (They have rainy days in Puglia?!)  What's the right proportion of Nero di Troia and Cabernet Sauvignon?  His own opinion is that they should reduce the Cabernet Sauvignon to 30 percent.  Aromas of red cherries and cooked fruits at first from the Troia, then the cassis and fresh herbal notes come in from the Cabernet Sauvignon, with vanilla and cinnamon from the oak. Right down the middle with suede tannins and medium acidity. Very good wine, but I prefer my Nero di Troia uncut. Matched with two cheeses – tangy pecorino and baked ricotta slices – and refreshing iced grapes.

A fun evening with unusual wines and delicious food. The 2005s are better than the 2007s but for a winery that’s less than a decade into producing its own wines, the potential is obvious. Buona Fortuna, Fabrizio e Grazie, Antonio!

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What a Heel!

It’s quite a week for the Wines of Puglia here in Ottawa (plus Toronto and Montreal). And it’s not over yet.

Events have been cascading since the Kick-Off Seminar on Tuesday afternoon with workshops and dinners featuring individual winemakers from Puglia. And the wines and food of Puglia are the focus at many of the restaurants that are celebrating Ottawa’s La Vendemmia, the harvest festival. It’s all been organized by Antonio Mauriello and the hard-working folks at his DiVino Wine Studio.

What’s Puglia? The heel of the Italian boot, it has a wonderful climate that generates high yields for almost any crop they choose to plant. Not surprisingly, with those high yields, Puglia’s wine reputation, for a long time, was for rather ordinary bulk wines. Locals often shipped these wines elsewhere for blending into wines from other regions to add some weight (alcohol). But in the last few years, attention has shifted from quantity to quality, as it has for other southern European wine regions. Good news for us!

Even better news, the winemakers in Puglia focus more and more on native grapes like Primitivo, Negroamaro, and Nero di Troia (although Cabernet and Chardonnay do have a foothold).

In addition to a primer on the history, geography, and food of Puglia …it’s the capital of Italian organic produce…it leads in Italian olive oil production…Tuesday’s Kick-Off Seminar featured a tasting of wines from 11 different producers, led by Ian D’Agata. (Wine Out Loud has a great description of the seminar.) Besides being a man who obviously knows his wines, Ian is just one more example of how the wine universe pulls people into its orbit, as he’s also holds a degree in medicine and is a paediatric gastroenterologist.

Of the 11 wines tasted at the seminar (1 white...made from Bombino Bianco, 1 rosé, 10 reds), I came away most impressed with the wines made from Nero di Troia and Negroamaro. These wines offered more in the flavour profile than just fruit, showing some intriguing herbal and spice notes, often with an attractive bitterness on the aftertaste. Great food-matching wines.

There are still some events to take in this weekend, so if you’re at loose ends, get out and enjoy some Wines of Puglia on Preston Street.

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Poggio Antico…and a Word about Terroir

We spent a superb Sunday evening at DiVino Wine Studio, meeting up with an old “winery friend”.

First, some background. Back in '93, while living in Germany, Michèle and I spent 2 weeks on vacation in Tuscany. One of our primary goals on the trip was to buy up lots of Chianti and Brunello. Tuscany was coming off two stunning vintages: 1990 and 1988. We had a “hit list” of wineries to visit and wines to buy.

A couple of years earlier, we had heard about a small new winery in Montalcino that was making some great Brunello. Its name was Poggio Antico. So one day we drove the 2 hours to Montalcino. Oh, so worth the drive! We arrived at Poggio Antico a little before lunch and, as luck would have it, the winery had a restaurant, which was a new idea in those days. After a fabulous lunch, with a bottle of Poggio Antico’s Brunello Riserva (1985, I think), we made our way to the shop and bought up some 1990 Brunello, 1990 Rosso, and 1988 Riserva. Sadly, all those wines are long gone but we had many wonderful meals with them. Ever since, we’ve had a soft spot in our hearts for Poggio Antico and its wines.

So when I got an e-mail from DiVino Wine Studio about a Meet the Winemaker Dinner with…Poggio Antico (!)…we didn’t need to think twice about grabbing a couple of spots.

Antonio Mauriello, owner of DiVino Wine Studio (and one of my instructors in the Sommelier program), hosted the dinner. As always, the atmosphere at DiVino was warm and relaxed. Paola Gloder, owner and winemaker of Poggio Antico, talked about her personal history at Poggio Antico, their approach to making wine, and running a business (which is what winemaking is). As luck would have it, we ended up sitting with Paola throughout dinner, sharing memories of our visit to Poggio Antico and learning more about the winery and her winemaking.

After we started our evening with Crostini and a glass of Prosecco, the wonderful (and affordable) dry sparkling wine from Veneto, we sat down to taste the wines of Poggio Antico, matched with dishes prepared by the talented kitchen staff of DiVino.

We started with Madre 2007 IGT, 13.5% ABV. Madre is 50% Sangiovese Grosso and 50% Cabernet Sauvignon. It’s Poggio Antico’s entry in the “Super Tuscan” category. The two wines in this blend are fermented and aged separately; aging is in 500-litre new French oak barrels. After blending and bottling, the wine is aged another 8 months before release. Although the wine is still a bit closed, the Sangiovese characteristics dominate this blend. Aromas of blackberries, black cherry, cassis, dried herbs, liquorice, clove, and coffee. Black fruits on the palate, with medium acidity. The tannins were quite chalky, even drying. I think a couple of more years of aging will soften these tannins. Impressive length and a good match with Pici pasta with a savoury Mariposa duck ragu.

Next up were Poggio Antico’s two Brunellos, served side-by-side:  Brunello di Montalcino 2005 DOCG, 13.5% ABV and Altero Brunello di Montalcino 2005 DOCG, 13.5% ABV. They’re both Brunello, both 100% Sangiovese Grosso but they’re aged differently, although both meet the DOCG requirements for Brunello. I’ll call the first one, Classic Brunello and the second one, Altero Brunello.

The Classic Brunello is aged 3 years in large Slovenian oak barrels, followed by 12 months in bottle before release. Black cherry, blackberry, tobacco, coffee, and leather all show up on the nose. The black fruits and a hint of coffee on the taste, with medium acidity and soft, well-integrated tannins. Wonderful length and balance. Indeed, a classic Brunello. I love it.

The Altero Brunello (Altero means self-confident) is aged for 2 years in 500-litre French oak barrels, followed by a minimum of 2 years in bottle before release. Aromas of black cherry, dried herbs, liquorice, and minerality. The fruit is front and centre on the palate. More acidity than the Classic Brunello and some heat at the back end. Good length.

I found that the Altero Brunello worked well on its own but the Classic Brunello (my preference) was better with the accompanying food: rabbit and chicken braised in Sangiovese, orange, and olives, with duck fat rosemary roasted potatoes, market fresh garlic kale and spinach, and grilled asparagus.

Our dinner concluded with Brunello di Montalcino Riserva 2004 DOCG, 13.5% ABV. Poggio Antico makes its Riserva in only the better vintages from 100% Sangiovese Grosso that comes from its oldest and lowest-altitude vineyard. It's aged 1 year in new French oak, then 2 ½ years in Slovenian oak, then 18 months in bottle before release. A powerful nose of black cherry, roasted coffee, tobacco, and chocolate. Good acidity and tannins that have not quite softened enough. But when they get there with a bit more aging, this will be a fantastic wine. Accompanied by Pecorino wines and honey, but this is what Antonio Mauriello calls a “meditation wine”: wonderful on its own.

Some good news for the future: 2009 was a wonderful vintage in Montalcino and the wines show great promise. Also, look for wines from 2007, another great vintage in Montalcino.

Just before Paola left Ottawa to drive to Toronto, I asked her if there’s a word in Italian for terroir. She said they use the same word. “Terroir is everything to us in Brunello. Each piece of land has its own characteristics that produce a unique wine. Of course, the winemaker has a role to play. We make decisions about where to plant, when to harvest, controlling fermentation, what oak to age the wine in and for how long, but it’s the terroir that makes the wine.”

To me, it’s very symbiotic, as demonstrated by the difference in the two Brunello wines that we tasted. Similar in character, each was unmistakably Brunello and, probably, unmistakably Poggio Antico. But the “intervention” of Paola, in the different ways that she aged the two wines, created twins with dissimilar personalities. By nature, they’re twins; by nurture, they’re unique.

Get in touch with Halpern to order Poggio Antico wines in Ontario.

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